Gareth Southgate’s men stunned Spain in one of the most memorable England wins for many a year.

Raheem Sterling scored two goals in the opening 45 minutes, having only scored twice in his previous 45 international appearances, with Marcus Rashford sweeping home in an extraordinary first half at Real Betis’ Estadio Benito Villamarin.

Clinical, bold and a joy to behold, talk of relegation from the Nations League’s top tier was replaced by hope of perhaps even making the finals after a 3-2 win that for a while had shades of the 2001 win in Germany about it.

Paco Alcacer netted shortly after his second-half introduction to ratchet up the pressure, and although Sergio Ramos scored with the last act of the game Southgate’s young side passed this test of resilience.

Harry Kane said England had gone into the game with a positive attitude.

He said: “We knew we could beat them. We played well at Wembley and came out of the blocks firing. I thought we defended well and soaked up the pressure.

“It’s tough to come here and win and we’ve done that.

“I enjoyed it, it was a great performance, everyone dug deep. We deserved it and played well.”

Kane added: “People always talk about goals and if I don’t score I don’t play well — but I’ve contributed to the team and that’s important to me. I love scoring goals but winning feels even better.

England’s maiden Nations League win will not be forgotten in a hurry, with Spain conceding three goals in a competitive home match for the first time ever as the Three Lions were rewarded for their first-half display of bravery and skill in Seville.

Sterling ended a superb team move — and his 1,102-day wait for an international goal — in the 16th minute, with Rashford then getting in on the act having missed two glaring opportunities in Friday’s goalless Group A4 draw in Croatia.

Southgate’s men kept their foot down and grabbed a third as Ross Barkley’s superb ball was directed across by Kane for Sterling to score on a night that got jittery once Alcacer reduced the deficit in the 57th minute.

Jordan Pickford nearly played himself into trouble and there were some other nervy moments, with Ramos heading home at the end of a match that saw Southgate’s men display strength and a streetwise edge that belied their inexperience.

Meanwhile, two goals from Edin Dzeko gave Bosnia and Herzegovina a 2-0 win over Northern Ireland.

The Roma striker opened the scoring in the 27th minute after a mistake by Jamal Lewis.

And in the 72nd minute Dzeko curled a delightful right-footed finish into the far corner to seal three points for the hosts.

Second-half goals from Haris Seferovic and Michael Lang helped Switzerland to a 2-1 win in Iceland, Adam Szalai scored twice as Hungary drew 3-3 in Estonia, and Pyry Soiri and Glen Kamara were on target in a 2-0 win for Finland over Greece.

Elsewhere Luxembourg beat San Marino 3-0 and Belarus and Moldova drew 0-0.

SPAIN: De Gea, Jonny, Nacho,Sergio Ramos, Alonso, Thiago, Busquets, Saul (Alcacer 56), Aspas (Ceballos 57), Rodrigo (Morata 73), Asensio.

ENGLAND: Pickford, Trippier (Alexander-Arnold 85), Maguire, Gomez, Chilwell, Dier, Barkley (Walker 76), Winks (Chalobah 90), Sterling, Rashford, Kane.

Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland).